The original Amatriciana, or matriciana (the recipe would appear to originate from the town of Amatrice in Rieti), does not call for onion, garlic or pancetta, only guanciale. Another popular variation uses spaghetti instead of bucatini.
Bucatini all'Amatriciana
Ingredients for 6 servings
Time 1 hour
Amatriciana Ingredients
800 g ripe tomatoes
500 g bucatini
150 g guanciale
50 g grated pecorino romano cheese dried chillies
extra-virgin olive oil
salt
pepper
Amatriciana Original Recipe
Remove the rind from guanciale, cut it into slices and then strips.
Brown the pork cheek in a saucepan with just a drop of olive oil, or cook it in a drop of water, as called for in the original recipe. After a few minutes, add the chopped chillies, the quantity depends on your personal taste.
Add the tomatoes after having peeled and cut them into wedges. Salt to taste. Cover and cook for about 50 mins (this depends on how ripe the tomatoes are). Boil the pasta until al dente, drain and put it back into the hot pan.
Add the sauce. Serve immediately topped with some grated pecorino and a pinch of black pepper.